The No. 24 Auburn Tigers suffered another conference loss for the 2011 season after falling to the No. 14 Georgia Bulldogs 7-45 in the Deep South's oldest rivalry Saturday evening in Athens, Ga.
"There is no secret why we lost," said coach Gene Chizik. "Offensively, we couldn't protect the quarterback and run the ball, and we couldn't sustain any drives at all. Defensively, we couldn't stop the passing game and couldn't stop the run.
"Five sacks are not at all acceptable. It was just an all-around complete team loss. Not one phase of our team played well ... offense, defense and special teams. We have to go back to work and do the things to be a better football team. We are going to go work and start to work again."
The Bulldogs were the first to score, after wide receiver Tavarres King secured an 8-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Aaron Murray. Murray progressed to throw three more touchdown passes, surpassing former Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford's school record.
The Tigers evened the score after sophomore quarterback Clint Moseley tossed an option reverse to freshman wide receiver C. J. Uzomah, who then completed his first career pass, a 4-yard touchdown, to junior tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen.
Georgia (8-2, 6-1 SEC) won its eighth game in a row after unleashing an organized team front, following a 35-7 halftime lead over Auburn.
The Bulldogs finished with their biggest win in the series since a 41-0 victory in 1946.
Auburn (6-4, 4-3 SEC) lacked in performance, gaining only 195 yards in total offense compared to Georgia's 528 yards. The Tigers earned nine first downs, while the Bulldogs secured 30.
The 38-point upset pushed the Bulldogs within one win of competing in the Southeastern Conference championship Dec. 3.
Auburn finished its road portion of the 2011 schedule with a 1-4 record with all five games coming against teams ranked in the Associated Press top 15, including No. 1 LSU, No. 8 Arkansas, No. 9 Clemson, No. 14 Georgia and No. 15 South Carolina.
The Tigers return to action Saturday to face Samford shortly before they move on to play the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl, Nov. 26.
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